ROBERT SHAFFER, age 30 of Honesdale, was sentenced to 16 months to 60 months in a State Correctional Institution following a guilty plea to one count of Indecent Assault, a Misdemeanor of the 1^st Degree relating to the sexual molestation of a 7 year old victim in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. Following a hearing consisting of testimony from a member of the Pennsylvania Sexual Offenders Assessment Board, Senior Judge Raymond Hamill determined Mr. Shaffer to be a Sexually Violent Predator and as such he will be subject to Megan’s Law Registration Requirements for the remainder of his lifetime. First Assistant District Attorney Deborah Rothenberg prosecuted the case. FADA Rothenberg stated, “This is not Mr. Shaffer’s first time violating young girls. Mr. Shaffer has been preying on underage girls for a long time and I am pleased that he will spend the rest of his life labeled as a Sexually Violent Predator because that is exactly what he is. I hope this designation will protect our children from him moving forward. This successful case is the result of a multi-disciplinary team approach that Wayne County takes in these types of cases, involving Wayne County Children and Youth, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the District Attorney’s Office, and it is proof that when the agencies work together we are more productive than working independently.”

EUGENE JOSEPH BLUEMKE, age 50 of Staten Island, NY, was sentenced to 22 months to 72 months in a State Correctional Institution after pleading guilty to one count of Terroristic Threats, a Misdemeanor of the 1^st Degree and one count of Theft from a Motor Vehicle, a Misdemeanor of the 3^rd Degree. On August 21, 2017, Bluemke broke into a vehicle parked in the K-Mart parking lot in Texas Township. He was caught in the act by the female victim, who wrestled him out of the vehicle. Bluemke threatened to cut the victim with a knife (which he did not display) and attempted to steal a laptop charger. District Attorney Robinson stated “Mr. Bluemke is a menace to society. He has been convicted twenty-one (21) times in four (4) different states. At least three (3) of his prior convictions were for activities similar to his actions on August 21, 2017, in the K-Mart parking lot. He richly deserves his sentence of 22 to 72 months in the State Penitentiary

CHRISTOPHER MELE, 31, of Lake Ariel was sentenced to 30 months to 120 months in a State Correctional Institution after pleading guilty to one count of Strangulation, a Felony of the 2nd degree. This charge arose in Lake Township during the night of July 14-15, 2017 when the Defendant had come home drunk and begun to argue with his girlfriend. At one point, the victim was forced to barricade herself in the bathroom, while the Defendant smashed through the interior door with a hammer. When the victim attempted to run out of the home for help, the Defendant chased her down and put his hand around her neck and mouth, preventing her from breathing on two occasions, rendering the victim unconscious. Mele then told the victim’s two children “Hey kids, come watch your mother get murdered!” Assistant District Attorney Shelley Robinson stated, “This is one of the first convictions for Strangulation in Wayne County after the Pennsylvania Legislature created this charge in October 2016. Prior to the enactment of this legislation, this type of crime may have only been charged as a Misdemeanor assault. Creating this Felony charge represents an understanding that Strangulation is a serious risk to women living in domestic violence relationships and represents one of the most lethal forms of Domestic Violence.” The Wayne County District Attorney encourages anyone who believes that he/she is at risk of domestic violence to seek help from the Police, Victim’s Intervention Program at (570) 253-4401 or their local domestic violence shelter.